Comments on: Manila: How Open Was This Open City? – January ’98 World War II Featurehttp://www.historynet.com/manila-how-open-was-this-open-city-january-98-world-war-ii-feature.htm
Wed, 07 Dec 2016 12:22:00 +0000hourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=4.2.2By: The Manila Massacre at 70 | The Murallahttp://www.historynet.com/manila-how-open-was-this-open-city-january-98-world-war-ii-feature.htm#comment-3596162
Mon, 02 Feb 2015 02:30:47 +0000#comment-3596162[…] and baffling orders of designing booby traps along the streets in Manila were contrary to that of MacArthur’s actions after proclaiming Manila an Open City on December 26, 1941. Following the announcement, every […]
]]>By: Johnhttp://www.historynet.com/manila-how-open-was-this-open-city-january-98-world-war-ii-feature.htm#comment-828937
Wed, 26 Dec 2012 23:33:28 +0000#comment-828937Some perspective is in order. Yes, we made mistakes. But it is nothing compared to what the Japanese did.

No article about the Battle of Manila is complete without a detailed accounting of the Japanese atrocities which occurred there. The rapes, murders and wanton destruction were similar to what they did in many Chinese towns and cities.

]]>By: Ray Andersonhttp://www.historynet.com/manila-how-open-was-this-open-city-january-98-world-war-ii-feature.htm#comment-818716
Tue, 25 Sep 2012 18:26:01 +0000#comment-818716When I was an ROTC instructer at South Dakota State University one of our civilians was a young soldier in the Phillipines in December 1941. He was in a 50 caliber, water cooled, anti-aircraft unit. His unit initially defended the airfield, but after the Japanese effectively destroyed the air corps his unit was ordered to defend the docks in Manila. After McArthur declared to the Japanese that Manila was an open city, which was not transmitted to his anti-aircraft unit, late on 26 December they saw an unarmed Japanese transport plane coming across the bay to land at the city airfield. His unit shot the plane down. This was the Japanese testing MdArthur’s open city declaration, and they found it wanting. They pounded the docks the next two days and my friend stated that there was nothing left for them to defend, so they were tranfered to Batan and then to Corregidor, from which he became (a guest of the Emperor). This was what sparked the Japanese bombing to begin with–the city was defended after McArthur’s declaration! I hope I get some feedback about this. It is not in any history book that I have seen and this article is the closest I have found. Good work LTC Whitman.
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